New government maps present practically all the West is in drought and it’s not even summer season yet: “That is unprecedented”

In an unprecedented transfer, Southern California officials declared a water shortage emergency and asked roughly 6 million residents to restrict all outdoor watering to only once per week.  

"We knew climate change would stress our water supplies and we've been preparing for it however we did not know it would happen this quick," mentioned Gloria Grey, chairwoman of the Metropolitan Water District Board of Administrators.  

The latest authorities maps show practically all of the West is in drought, and 95% of California is struggling severe or extreme drought.

"This is real. This is severe. This is unprecedented," said Adel Hagekhalil, general supervisor for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.  

California will not be alone as reservoirs across the West are draining.  

Lake Mead, the biggest reservoir within the nation formed by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, needs a brand new pump to make sure water can circulation to Las Vegas. 

"The problem with local weather change is that it takes all of the historic patterns and type of shifts them," NASA scientist Dr. JT Reager instructed CBS Information' Ben Tracy. 

Reager mentioned the West is in a 22-year megadrought, as local weather change makes it hotter and drier. 

"We're simply starting to see the dominoes fall. It is drier, we're beginning to see less water in our reservoirs, and we have fires, and in California, there's just this collection of consequences that we anticipate," said Reager.